1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for dispensing thin flat articles and, more particularly, a compact storage and dispensing unit for dispensing from vending machines objects such as paper currency, and other flexible paper and plastic objects of a lightweight configuration, such as tickets, telephone cards and the like.
2. Description of Related Art
It is desirable to dispense lightweight flexible objects, such as notes, currency or monetary bills from vending machines, automatic teller machines, currency exchange machines, etc. Vending machines are also used to dispense tickets and telephone cards. In all of these machines, it is important to accurately remove a predetermined number of articles from a stacked storage position and to dispense them in a safe and accurate manner to the user.
Reference can be made to FIG. 6 which shows one view from Japanese Patent Application No. 8-188006. In this embodiment, a baseboard 11xe2x80x2 interconnects a central end part 12xe2x80x2 and a cover board 14xe2x80x2. Extending from the central end part 12xe2x80x2 is a bottom board 14xe2x80x2 with an appended installation member 15xe2x80x2. Side rollers 16xe2x80x2, 17xe2x80x2 can rotate for dispensing an article that has been picked up by a suction apparatus 21xe2x80x2. The suction apparatus 21xe2x80x2 includes an exhaust duct 26xe2x80x2 and a roller member 27xe2x80x2 that is driven by a pulley belt 31xe2x80x2 mounted on pulley guides 28xe2x80x2, 30xe2x80x2 that are driven by an electric motor 29xe2x80x2. Support pads 32xe2x80x2, 33xe2x80x2 are provided at the bottom and apertures 22xe2x80x2, 23xe2x80x2 permit the suction effect to initially grasp an article which is then driven by the roller 27xe2x80x2 for release. As can be seen, the article is transported to the rollers 16xe2x80x2, 17xe2x80x2 with the suction apparatus supported by the frame 24xe2x80x2. Such a structure is not always dependable and when applied to circulating monetary notes a problem can occur, in that, the contact friction can become insufficient between the drive roller 27xe2x80x2 and the note. Also, frequently notes are bent at a center portion and this can cause a problem in ensuring a unitary drive force.
As can be appreciated in dispensing articles such as monetary bills, it is essential that the device accurately dispense the stored bills, especially when installed at a remote location as patrons of such a machine could vent their frustration if the appropriate exchange of monetary notes is not accurate. Thus, the prior art is still seeking to optimize the accurate dispensing of thin flexible articles, such as monetary bills in relatively compact structures which can be mounted in a versatile manner in vending machines.
The present invention is directed to a dispensing apparatus for thin flat articles and includes a plenum chamber having an aperture of a size smaller than the articles to be dispensed. A suction device, such as a pair of fan units can be connected to the reverse side of the plenum chamber, provides sufficient negative pressure to adhere an article to the aperture of the plenum chamber. A contact member, such as an endless belt, is mounted for movement across the aperture to drive the article adhering to the aperture traverse to the aperture when the endless belt member is driven. An electric motor is mounted on a mounting bracket which can be attached to an exterior side of the plenum chamber. The mounting bracket can have a guide frame that will extend across the aperture of the plenum chamber for guiding and supporting the endless belt member independent of the aperture frame. Preferably the endless belt member is made from a material which provides sufficient contact friction, such as a rubber belt, with the article. The articles can be monetary currency which are bundled in stacks and mounted in replaceable storage trays. The storage tray can have a spring-biased support member that moves across the tray to advance the bills towards a frame opening that is aligned with the aperture of the plenum chamber.
A pressure reducing apparatus having a series of spacer members can be activated to grasp the edges of the stack of bills and thereby relieve the pressure on the foremost bills. The spacer members removably engage the stacked bills upon an initiation of a bill dispensing operation. When the bill or article is dispensed from the stack, a sensor can monitor the release of the bill and through a controller circuit can activate the motor to rotate in a reverse direction to prevent any succeeding bills from also being released with the initial bill. The bills can be forwarded to a storage chamber which has a guide piece that opens and controls a passageway for ejecting the bills to the user. Optical sensors can accurately count the number of bills which are accumulated in the storage chamber prior to dispensing. When the appropriate number of bills enter the storage chamber, the guide piece can be activated to open the passageway and a roller can contact a belt supporting the stored bills and eject them into a tray for access by the user.
Sensors can also appropriately determine if a bill has inadvertently been ejected from the stack and upon such a detection, the bill can be forwarded to a return bin included in each of the replaceable storage trays.